The Future of Tech, News and making sense of it all!

Thursday, July 9, 2020

TPS Consulting Late Wednesday Edition

TECHNOLOGY AND MORE!




Best phone in the US for 2020: the top 15 smartphones we've tested

19KTechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 17h
New smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy S20 trio are included in our list of the best phones in the US.

Probe of failed Boeing Starliner launch finds a long list of problems

NASA Boeing Starliner
2KEngadget / 21h
The independent team NASA and Boeing formed to look into Starliner’s failed flight to the ISS is done with its investigation. And based on NASA’s announcement , they have a pretty lengthy list of changes to make before the spacecraft can start ferrying astronauts to space. The joint review team ended their investigation with 80 recommendations for NASA and Boeing to address, with the most notable

Why You Should Feed Your Cat 5 Times a Day

1KLifehacker / 10h
Do you have the kind of cat who paws at your face at an ungodly hour of the morning until you finally relent and get up? Does s/he then proceed to meow and whine until you fill up their food bowl? It’s not that your cat is unusually gluttonous; it could be that they’re telling you that it’s a natural feeding time for… Read more...

TODAY

After Zoom, Jio clones WhatsApp with JioChat

TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 23min
Just days after launching a copy of Zoom, Jio has up[dated the UI of JioChat, making it an exact replica of WhatsApp

iQoo Z1x is the cheapest phone powered by Snapdragon 765G

TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 37min
The iQoo Z1x is a new affordable 5G handset powered by Snapdragon 765G chipset in China.

Samsung may stop providing chargers with their phones

TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 44min
Samsung is planning to exclude the charger from the box components for some smartphones. If it happens, a clutch of Samsung models will ship without a charger starting next year.

Lawmakers request monthly COVID-19 misinformation reports from online platforms

48Engadget / 1h
Democratic members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee want to know what the biggest online platforms are doing to combat COVID-19 misinformation. The lawmakers have sent letters to Facebook, Google and Twitter, requesting monthly reports detailing their companies’ response to all the false and misleading COVID-19 information circulating on their websites. In the letters signed by Committe

Samsung introduces two new soundbars, including a 9.1.4-channel model

TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 1h
Samsung rounds out its 2020 soundbar lineup with two new models: HW-Q950T and HW-Q900T.

Lenovo will unveil a high-end gaming phone on July 22

Lenovo Legion Snapdragon
TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 1h
The flagship Lenovo Legion gaming phone will be unveiled for the local market on July 22 with the new Snapdragon 865 Plus chipset.

How to watch the Canon EOS R5 livestream: tune in for its 'biggest product launch yet'

TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 1h
Canon is expected to announced the Canon EOS R5 and EOS R6 at its livestream today – here's how to watch.

Loot boxes: I blew my parents' savings gaming on Fifa

100+BBC News - Technology / 1h
How one teenager spent nearly £3,000 on his "addiction" to video game loot boxes.

UK universities comply with China internet limits

1KBBC News - Technology / 1h
But universities reject that tests on online learning in China are accepting "censorship".

This macOS malware can wipe your entire device

21TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 2h
MacOS devices at risk from ThiefQuest ransomware - but help could be at hand.

Google reportedly cancelled a cloud project meant for countries including China

Google China Chinese
100TechCrunch / 2h
After reportedly spending a year and a half working on a cloud service meant for China and other countries, Google cancelled the project, called “Isolated Region,” in May due partly to geopolitical and pandemic-related concerns. Bloomberg reports that Isolated Region, shut down in May, would have enabled it to offer cloud services in countries that want to keep and control data within their borde

Asus ROG Phone 3 will launch in India on July 22

TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 2h
Asus has confirmed that the ROG Phone3 will launch in India on July 22 in an event, right alongside the global launch.

eBay slashes a wondrous 44% off the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2

20TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 2h
Samsung's popular smartwatch is now discounted by a massive AU$355 on eBay.

Digimon Adventure Teased Its Big Bad by Establishing a Wild New Canon

51Gizmodo / 2h
For all of the Digimon Adventure reboot ’s narrative similarities to the original anime that it’s based on, the new series has been carefully introducing unique elements to its telling of the story about human children partnering with Digimon to save the digital world. Read more...

6 of the best cordless lawn mowers for your garden

41Mashable / 2h
You can fill your garden with a wide range of beautiful flowers , shrubs, and trees, but it's still going to look tired if your lawn is out of control. There is no amount of water features and hanging baskets that can make up for an ugly lawn. The first step towards creating an oasis in your garden is to cut the grass. A neat and tidy lawn looks great, and it's actually pretty easy to achieve. On

Pixel 5 XL renders appear to add to the confusion

SlashGear / 2h
The Pixel 4a is still a no-show. The Pixel 5 is supposedly still at an early stage of design and development. Given that situation, it’s not really surprising that uncorroborated rumors and leaks will be popping up left and right. While the fate of the Pixel 4a XL has mostly been sealed, a premium Pixel 5 XL is still expected … Continue reading

Microsoft Teams unleashes a flood of new features for video meetings

SlashGear / 3h
Video conferences are the in thing these days and almost everyone is trying to grab a piece of that juicy pie. Originally designed to take on Slack, Microsoft’s Teams platform has now jumped on board a train that Slack has so far been unable to catch up with. As use cases for video meetings grow, so, too, is the demand … Continue reading

Ryan Gosling's Wolfman Movie Lands Invisible Man Director

Gizmodo / 3h
If you’re going to make a Universal Monsters movie, why not get a director who’s already a proven success in the genre? According to Deadline , that’s exactly what’s about to happen. Read more...

Here are the cheapest large capacity microSD memory cards right now

TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 3h
512GB is the new sweet spot when it comes to memory cards.

iPhones users complain of severe battery drain due to Music app

Apple Music iPhone
SlashGear / 3h
Despite their loyalty, iPhone users have been complaining for years about the battery size and battery life of their favorite mobile device. iPhones have indeed become larger and iOS has become more battery-conscious, imposing strict restrictions on apps that can drain the battery in the background. Unfortunately, that may not apply to Apple’s own apps as several users are now … Continue reading

This VC just closed on $60M to fund ‘technical risk,’ saying other VCs mostly do not

85TechCrunch / 4h
Ashmeet Sidana, a longtime VC who struck out on his own in 2015 to form Engineering Capital , just closed his third and newest fund with $60 million in capital commitments from a university endowment, a fund of funds, and three foundations. Sidana — who previously spent nearly nine years with Foundation Capital and received one of his first limited partner agreements afterward from Foundation’s l

Chevrolet's refreshed 2021 Corvette has wireless CarPlay, Android Auto

2021 Chevrolet Corvette
100+Engadget / 4h
Last year Chevrolet unveiled its long-anticipated mid-engine Corvette Stingray , which came packed with technology like wireless phone charging, NFC, support for over-the-air updates and a 1080p Performance Data Recorder. Delays and the coronavirus pandemic cut its inaugural 2020 model year production run short, but the 2021 version will have some upgrades that the company just announced. While p

Surface Duo emulator gives a glimpse of the dual-screen future

SlashGear / 4h
While it might be technically easier to build a phone with two screens compared to having a single large foldable display, designing the user experience to support that form factor is actually harder. Unlike normal desktop operating systems, Android just wasn’t designed to span two screens, forcing LG to resort to tricks to make its Dual Screen case work. Microsoft … Continue reading

Wink's delayed smart home subscription plan kicks in July 27th

47Engadget / 5h
Wink can’t put off launching its subscription program any longer. The smart home company has announced that it will start charging customers $5 a month on July 27th, which means users who refuse to get on board will soon have to make do with limited functionality. Wink announced that it was moving to a subscription model back in May due to “long term costs and recent economic events” (i.e. COVID-

The overwhelming whiteness of Netflix's 'Stateless' undermines its good intentions

51Mashable / 5h
Something about Stateless doesn't sit right. Debuting globally on Netflix today (following its Australian broadcasting premiere in March), the six-part limited series paints a moving portrait of immigration detention in Australia. One of the world's largest refugee safe havens, Australia has long grappled with a human rights crisis similar to that of the United States — a crushing collision of li

Samsung reportedly plans to remove chargers from boxes

Samsung Galaxy August 5
SlashGear / 5h
Your next Samsung phone’s box might be lighter, smaller, and have fewer things inside but the phone itself won’t be getting any cheaper. Following reports that Apple’s next iPhones might not include chargers in their boxes, Samsung is now also tipped to be mulling the same. In both cases, the reason is to offset the costs of increasingly more expensive … Continue reading

Report says Quibi lost 92% of its earliest users after free trials expired

100+TechCrunch / 5h
The Independence Day weekend was a big one for Quibi, it was time to see how many of their earliest subscribers would convert from free users to paid subscribers. Early reports indicate that the streaming service held onto some subscribers through that period, but perhaps at a lesser rate than recently launched rival services. Data provided to TechCrunch by Sensor Tower estimates that around 8% o

How to Uninstall Edge Chromium When Windows 10 Won't Let You

32Lifehacker / 5h
Edge Chromium is a decent web browser . I’d even go as far as to say it’s worth swapping over to from Google Chrome, given its improvements with memory usage. However, Microsoft has been incredibly annoying about stuffing Edge Chromium down everyone’s throats, and a recent Windows update locks this browser into your OS… Read more...

First teaser for The Boys S2 promises another wild and bloody ride

54Ars Technica / 5h
Our vigilantes are on the run from Homelander (Antony Starr) and the rest of the Seven in the second season of Amazon Prime's The Boys . The war between corrupt, evil superheroes and a ragtag band of vigilantes out to expose their true nature and curb the power of "super" in society will escalate dramatically, judging by the first teaser for S2 of The Boys. The Amazon Prime series—one of the most

Galaxy Note 20 Ultra hands-on video could leave you conflicted

Samsung Galaxy August 5
SlashGear / 5h
Samsung made a few wrong turns with the Galaxy S20 series, especially the Galaxy S20 Ultra, and it wasn’t just about the timing of its exorbitant price. It packed a lot of features, some of which didn’t live up to Samsung’s promises. The Galaxy Note 20 Ultra may be scaling back on some of those excesses but it might also … Continue reading

iPhone 12 price tip: Less in the box, more on the bill

iPhone 12 Apple 14
SlashGear / 6h
Apple fans are looking toward the future and anticipating the upcoming iPhone 12, one that has been the subject of an increasing number of leaks. Though we can’t say for sure what the new model will feature, many leaks are often close to accurate and this time around is likely no different. What should future iPhone 12 buyers expect? Possibly … Continue reading

7 travel upgrades for an unforgettable California vacation

The Points Guy / 6h
From the glamor of Hollywood and Palm Springs to the culture and history of San Francisco, from Yosemite’s spectacular vistas to the majesty of Lake Tahoe, California lures vacationers seeking every type of getaway. Choose one of the state’s best beaches for a sun-splashed hang, head to Napa for a foodie extravaganza and a flight of the region’s best wines or seek sanctuary in California’s pristi

Best Kindle 2020: which Amazon ereader should you buy?

200+TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 6h
Want to get into ebooks? These are the best Amazon Kindles around sorted by price and features.

Best hybrid smartwatch 2020: great hidden tech in the watch on your wrist

500+TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 6h
Don't want all of the features a full-blown smartwatch offers? Here's our ranking of the best hybrid watches money can buy.

PSA: Don't get stung by Telstra's new mandatory mobile plan swap

TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 6h
The popular telco has updated its mobile plans by giving you more data, but it'll come at a cost.

Ninja Played Fortnite on YouTube, and the Gaming World Lost Its Mind

Ninja YouTube Mixer
200+NYT > Technology / 6h
The buzz that Tyler Blevins, also known as Ninja, generated by streaming on a new platform showed the power famous content creators have in the video game industry.

Best phones for music 2020: top choices for audio on your smartphone

300+TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 6h
If music is your main priority then these phones are among the very best options.

Best Huawei phones 2020: find your perfect Huawei

500+TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 6h
These are the best Huawei phones for every need and budget, from the P40 Pro to the P30 Lite.

Fortnite replay teases the Season 3 return of an old favorite

SlashGear / 6h
Epic is slowly reducing the amount of water on the Fortnite battle royale island, revealing the structures that were damaged and otherwise covered by the massive Storm at the end of Season 2. The expectation is that eventually most of the water will be gone and the roads will return, as will the islands and landmasses we saw pre-flood. It … Continue reading

TSA Allows Scissors Less Than 4 Inches, Resist The Temptation To Use Them

View from the Wing / 6h
While you're permitted to bring scissors, you need to handle them responsibly while inflight. That can pose surprising challenges. I present you with one example. Continue reading ...

Best Wear OS watch 2020: our list of the top ex-Android Wear smartwatches

500+TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 7h
Android Wear is now called Wear OS, and it offers some of the best smartwatches for Android.

Best cheap smartwatch 2020: great budget devices for your wrist

400+TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 7h
Want a smartwatch that doesn't break the bank? Check out our pick of the best affordable smartwatches out there.

The best iPhone 8 cases and iPhone 8 Plus cases: protect your all-glass iPhone

300+TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 7h
Protect your Apple iPhone 8 with a case from our list to safeguard your smartphone from dents, cracks, and shattered displays.

Smartwatch hack could send fake pill reminders to patients

200+BBC News - Technology / 7h
Researchers find a software security flaw that could easily be abused by hackers.

The tech behind Virgin Orbit's mission to space

100+BBC News - Technology / 7h
Marc Cieslak looks at how Virgin Orbit plans to launch its rockets from a plane.

Best power banks of 2020: portable chargers to keep your gadgets going

2KTechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 7h
Whether you're after a slim battery for phones or a large bank to juice up your tablet, here are the top portable chargers.

Law Enforcement Is Buying Its Way Into Our Breaches

20Gizmodo / 7h
Right now, there’s a good chance your digital life is multitudes bigger than it was just a few months ago. Over time, the global coronavirus pandemic has turned a lot of us—or at least everyone I know—into the type of person who dates digitally , mourns digitally , and attends everything from church to support groups … Read more...

Wink tweaks surprise subscription mandate, but you still have to pay

SlashGear / 7h
Home security and automation company Wink has detailed an update to its mandatory subscription plan requirement — and no, it isn’t changing its plan to force the subscription on its existing customers. Rather, the company says that it is once again extending the deadline for how long customers have to start paying. Once that date rolls around, Wink users who … Continue reading

Intel Reveals What We Can Expect From Thunderbolt 4 Later This Year

Intel Thunderbolt 4
Gizmodo / 8h
Intel’s Thunderbolt connector is pretty much the gold standard when it comes to ports, with Thunderbolt 3 found on a wide variety of high-end computers and peripherals. But Intel is looking to improve and refine its connection standard, and now we have new official details regarding the next version of the spec: … Read more...

Apple says it’s ‘committed’ to supporting Thunderbolt on new Macs after Intel details latest version

Apple Intel Thunderbolt
100+TechCrunch / 8h
Earlier today, Intel offered some key insight into Thunderbolt 4, following an initial unveiling at CES back in January. The latest version of the connection standard isn’t actually faster than its predecessor (still offering up the same 40 gbps as its predecessor), but there are some key improvements on-board, including some updated system requirements. Here’s the rundown, per Intel: Double the

Twitter Is Working on Some Kind of Mysterious Subscription Feature

Twitter Platform Gryphon
Gizmodo / 8h
Twitter may be finally working on a way for you to monetize your shitty tweets without starting a podcast or putting a Cash.me link in your bio—that, or it’s launching a new tier of premium or ad-free accounts. As reported by VentureBeat on Wednesday, the revenue-hungry social network is indeed building some kind of… Read more...

Hong Kong's Security Law Puts Big Tech at a Crossroads

China Chinese Hong Kong
100+Wired / 8h
As China exerts more power over the city, companies like Facebook and Google have stopped handing over data—for now.

Microsoft neuters Office 365 account attacks that used clever ruse

Microsoft Teams T. Mode
65Ars Technica / 8h
Enlarge (credit: Emerson Alecrim / Flickr ) Microsoft has neutered a large-scale fraud campaign that used knock-off domains and malicious apps to scam customers in 62 countries around the world. The software maker and cloud-service provider last week obtained a court order that allowed it to seize six domains, five of which contained the word “office.” The company said attackers used them in a so

Fisker raises $50 million to bring its all-electric Ocean SUV to market in 2022

Fisker $50M MSV 2022
100+TechCrunch / 8h
Electric vehicle startup Fisker Inc. said Wednesday it has raised $50 million, much needed capital that will go toward funding the next phase of engineering work on the company’s all-electric luxury SUV. The startup is aiming to launch the Fisker Ocean SUV in 2022. The Series C funding round was led by Moore Strategic Ventures LLC, the private investment vehicle of Louis M. Bacon, the billionaire

NASA injects $17M into four small companies with Artemis ambitions

84TechCrunch / 8h
NASA awards millions of dollars a year to small businesses through the SBIR program, but generally it’s a lot of small awards to hundreds of companies. Breaking with precedent, today the agency announced a new multi-million-dollar funding track and its four first recipients, addressing urgent needs for the Artemis program. The Small Business Innovation Research program has various forms throughou

Android 11 Beta 2 released with all sorts of fun bugs

Google 11 September
SlashGear / 8h
Today Google released Android 11 Beta 2 for a limited number of smartphones. Users can download the app with the full public Beta release system or with the Android Flash Tool. Users can also run the Android 11 Beta 2 on their desktop machine using the Android Emulator inside Android Studio – or with a GSI (generic system image) on … Continue reading

FDA warns more hand sanitizer recalled over serious risk

28SlashGear / 8h
The FDA reported this week that more hand sanitizer has been recalled over the presence of a dangerous chemical that could, in a worst-case scenario, cause permanent injury to those who are exposed to it. This recall covers nearly 20,000 bottles of hand sanitizer, joining other hand sanitizer recalls announced earlier this month for the same reason. READ: The FDA … Continue reading

Want to see the iPhone 12 sizes? These dummy units are the best idea we have yet

24TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 9h
Check out how big each iPhone 12 model will be with these dummy units, which have leaked online.

A Lab Accident Likely Led to a Woman's Death From Brain-Destroying Prions 9 Years Later

100+Gizmodo / 9h
A lab accident in 2010 likely led to a woman’s untimely death nearly a decade later, according to doctors in France. In a recent case study, they describe how a woman in her early 30s developed a universally fatal brain disorder years after she had pierced her skin with equipment used to handle infectious rogue… Read more...

Less than the cost of lunch: Domestic flight deals from $14 one-way

91The Points Guy / 9h
Editor’s note: As the travel industry reopens following COVID-19 shutdowns, TPG suggests that you talk to your doctor, follow health officials’ guidance and research local travel restrictions before booking that next trip. We will be here to help you prepare, whether it is next month or next year. With many international borders still closed to Americans , domestic travel will likely take the lea

Tablo's Dual 128GB and Quad 1TB DVRs have plenty of storage built-in

81Engadget / 9h
Nuvyyo is adding two new DVR models with built-in storage to its Tablo lineup. While they're not the first devices from the company to include onboard storage, they feature significantly more space than the 64GB Dual model the company announced in 2017. The Dual 128GB will set you back $170, but it can store approximately 80 hours of HD video. Meanwhile, with the more expensive $240 Quad 1TB, tha

Earth won't immediately cool off if we slash emissions

67Mashable / 9h
The amount of heat-trapping carbon dioxide in the atmosphere hit a record high in May . That's because humanity kept emitting a prodigious amount of carbon , even through the worst pandemic in a century . But if civilization does begin to significantly cut emissions, global temperatures won't promptly start going down, like flipping a climate switch. In research published Tuesday in the journal N

Google Maps traffic lights update released to Android

Google Maps Android
SlashGear / 9h
If you’re using an Android device that was released in the last few years and you use Google Maps, you’re in luck. Today, Google started releasing an update that adds traffic lights to maps. This isn’t going to be live in all places around the world right out the gate – this is just the start – but it’s a … Continue reading

Crap: NASA’s Mars “Mole” Finally Started Digging, Then Hit Another Obstacle

2KFuturism / 9h
NASA has been desperately trying to use the “mole” attached its InSight Mars lander to bury into the Martian soil for more than 17 long months, but progress has been slow. The Martian soil composition just wasn’t what the scientists expected, forcing them to improvise. In the latest update , NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory outlined how the 16-inch, jackhammer-like mole, formally known as the Hea

Oracle brings entire public cloud services on to customer’s data centre

TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 9h
Provides more than 50 services while AWS and Microsoft Azure Stack offer only limited services to customer premises, top official says

Garry Kasparov on AI: ‘People always called me an optimist’

92TechCrunch / 9h
Garry Kasparov is a political activist who’s written books and articles on artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and online privacy, but he’s best known for being the former World Chess Champion who took on the IBM computer known as Big Blue in the mid-1990s. I spoke to Kasparov before a speaking engagement at the Collision Conference last month where he was participating in his role as Avast Se

Emirates Continues With Layoffs, Now By Email

100+One Mile at a Time / 9h
It’s going to take years for the airline industry to fully recover to pre-2020 levels, and as a result we’re seeing airlines around the world lay off employees. Those who haven’t been laid off are likely feeling an incredible amount of anxiety regarding their job security, so that can’t be fun. Emirates started laying off employees in June In early June, Emirates started laying off employees acro

Is It Game Streaming's Turn for a Labor Revolution?

Ninja YouTube Mixer
100+Wired / 9h
After the demise of Mixer, livestreamers are taking a closer look at what their platform partnerships should look like.

The First Teaser for Halloween Kills Is Here, But the Movie Won't Be Until 2021

400+Gizmodo / 9h
It’s a good news/bad news situation if you’re a fan of the Halloween franchise . Read more...

New York Governor Wants Customs-Like Check-in For Domestic Flights

65View from the Wing / 9h
Airlines will be handing out quarantine forms for passengers to fill out when entering New York. Governor Cuomo also wants “a customs-like check-in at the airport” for domestic flights. The forms will be used to enforce New York’s quarantine of arriving domestic passengers from states with “a positive test rate higher than 10 per 100,000 residents over a 7-day rolling average or a state with a 10

Fix This iPhone Battery Bug by Ditching Apple Music

Apple Music iPhone
100+Lifehacker / 9h
Cases of an odd battery-draining iOS bug are on the rise and the Apple Music app appears to be the culprit, with reports showing that the app can rapidly eat up to 95 percent of a device’s battery for no reason. The issue affects a wide variety of iOS devices, but most of the recent cases appear to be running iOS… Read more...

To Fight COVID, Japanese Theme Parks Forbid Screaming on Roller Coasters

2KFuturism / 9h
Screaming Internally In an incredible — and, unintentionally or otherwise, hilarious — video message released by Japan’s Fuji-Q Highland amusement park, two executives could be seen riding a roller coaster in complete silence while wearing masks. 2020 is just no fun. The park is no longer allowing attendees to scream and howl as they’re riding the park’s numerous rides, as The Wall Street Journal

Arm set to spin off IoT businesses

TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 9h
Arm has announced its plan to transfer its IoT Platform and Treasure Data businesses to SoftBank.

Intel details Thunderbolt 4: Required DMA protection, longer cables, and more

Intel Thunderbolt 4
76Ars Technica / 9h
The branding for Thunderbolt 4. [credit: Intel ] Intel has outlined what to expect from the new Thunderbolt 4 standard, which is expected to start appearing in consumer devices later this year. While it won't offer an increase over the 40GB/s that Thunderbolt 3 does, Thunderbolt 4 has steeper minimum requirements than Thunderbolt 3 for devices to claim certification—and that makes some new featur

Strive School wants to increase the number of job-ready software engineers in Europe

98TechCrunch / 9h
College in the United States is expensive and, for many, comes with massive student debt. The price tag has led to the increase of coding bootcamps and alternative schooling options to help students gain employment, and a salary, without taking on millions of dollars in debt. In Europe, the picture looks vastly different: A majority of universities are low-cost or free to attend. Students have to

Climate Change Could Make Arctic Waves Two Stories Higher

50Gizmodo / 9h
Climate change may cause huge waves to swell in the Arctic, which could have a devastating impact on coastal communities. Read more...

Raising $22.5 million, Liftit looks to expand its logistics services in Brazil, Mexico, Chile and Ecuador

500+TechCrunch / 9h
The Colombian trucking and logistics services startup Liftit has raised $22.5 million in a new round of funding to capitalize on its newfound traction in markets across Latin America as responses to the COVID-19 epidemic bring changes to the industry across the region. “We’re focusing on the five countries that we’re already in,” says Liftit chief executive Brian York. The company recently hired

Star Wars' Rae Sloane: Everything You Need to Know About the Face of a Fallen Empire

89Gizmodo / 9h
When EA’s Star Wars: Squadrons was announced, fans (rightfully) got very excited about glimpses of familiar faces among the cast of starfighter pilots: Wedge Antilles , flying for the New Republic! Rebel ’s Hera Syndulla , now a general! But there’s one more familiar face in there that has fans talking, and it’s not a… Read more...

Toyota just gave its 2021 TRD Pro trucks a sweet new paint job

2021 Toyota Corolla
SlashGear / 9h
Toyota has given its burly 2021 TRD Pro trucks a handsome new finish, with the Lunar Rock paint option being added to its 4Runner, Tacoma, Sequoia, and Tundra models. Meanwhile, there are new Trail Special Editions of some of its most popular trucks and SUVs headed to dealerships in the fall. The new paint job replaces the old Army Green … Continue reading

NASA picks four small US companies to make Artemis Moon tech

SlashGear / 9h
NASA has selected four small companies in the US to ‘mature’ tech for its upcoming Artemis Moon missions. The combined value of these follow-on contracts will amount to around $17 million, according to the space agency, which previously awarded the companies contracts to develop and demonstrate these technologies. NASA anticipates the contracts helping speed up the development of Moon tech … Cont

These Countries Let Americans Study Abroad for Next to Nothing

500+Lifehacker / 10h
According to Forbes Magazine , student loan debt in the United States has jumped to $1.56 trillion spread across 45 million borrowers. With the pandemic raging and over 17.5 million Americans unemployed, and the cost of college averaging between around $20,000 for a public college and over $45,000 for private, going to… Read more...

NASA Calls a Time Out as InSight’s Heat Probe Hits Another Snag on Mars

NASA Mars InSight tRP
51Gizmodo / 10h
After some mild progress, the Mars InSight heat probe, known as “the mole,” is no longer descending into the Red Planet. NASA is pressing pause on this part of the mission for now, freeing InSight’s robotic arm for other important jobs. Read more...

Are Hyatt Dining & Spa Awards Worth It?

31One Mile at a Time / 10h
Some changes were made to the World of Hyatt program earlier this year. One of the most exciting improvements was that Hyatt adjusted the value proposition of Dining & Spa awards . This went from something that I would have never considered, to something that potentially represents a good deal. World of Hyatt has just launched a promotion offering 15-25% off points redemptions this summer, so in

Colvin raises $15M to rethink the flower supply chain

200+TechCrunch / 10h
At first glance, Colvin — which recently announced that it has raised a $15 million Series B — might look like just another flower and plant delivery company, but co-founder and CEO Andres Cester said the startup has a much grander vision. “We were born with the ambition to be the company that would redesign global flower trade,” he said. Apparently, when Cester and his co-founder/COO Sergi Basta

Cheap iPhone deal: the iPhone 11 gets a $550 price cut with trade-in at Verizon

TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 10h
If you're looking for a cheap iPhone deal, then Verizon has you covered with up to $550 in savings on the iPhone 11 with eligible trade-in.

Superpowered siblings time travel to save the world in Umbrella Academy S2 trailer

The Umbrella Academy
93Ars Technica / 10h
The Hargreeves siblings are scattered in time and must reunite to stop the apocalypse in the second season of The Umbrella Academy . A group of dysfunctional siblings with superpowers travels back in time to the 1960s in the hope of warding off the apocalypse in the official trailer for the second season of The Umbrella Academy . The Netflix series is an adaptation of the award-winning Dark Horse

Get a Custom Playlist with Spotify's 'Soundtrack Your Workout' Tool

67Lifehacker / 10h
Bored with your workout mix? Us too. Especially if you’ve been working out at home—alone—for the duration of the pandemic, it’s unsurprising that you’re tired of listening to the same music, and perfectly understandable if you also feel overwhelmed at the idea of making a fresh playlist for each and every session. Read more...

SoundCloud Insights show creators their audience data

48Engadget / 10h
SoundCloud now offers Insights for creators, allowing smaller musicians to know who’s listening to their music, what music they’re listening to and where they’re from -- data they may not otherwise have. The feature is rolling out today and over the next few weeks on the SoundCloud app, according to the SoundCloud blog . As a creator, Insights allows you to see your top listener, top city, top co

9 excellent recent novels to read this month

37Mashable / 10h
Summer is in full swing, and while plenty of things are looking different these days, one that hasn't is the joy of a good book. You may not be reading it on the subway or a beach like normal, but the pleasure of drifting somewhere else still holds strong appeal, even if your big adventure is just going from your bed to your couch. The nine new novels below are all escapes in some way — to Kensin

This company wants to make edible insects the future of food — Future Blink

40Mashable / 10h
Beobia's goal is to produce and consume sustainable food without compromising the planet. Read more... More about Mashable Video , Food And Drink , Sustainability , Eco Friendly , and Future Blink

These Disinfectants Have Been Proven to Work Against the Coronavirus

300+Lifehacker / 10h
There are 431 disinfectants that the EPA says will kill SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. They made the list because they kill other, similar viruses. But now two of the disinfectants have been tested, successfully, against the actual coronavirus you’re worried about. Read more...

How to Make Your Phone Read Everything On Screen Out Loud

400+Lifehacker / 10h
It’s not always convenient or possible to glance at your smartphone’s screen as you normally would, but with a few tweaks to your phone’s settings, you can get the most important information without having to look down at the display. Here’s how to get your phone to read the info you need aloud to you through the… Read more...

Ninja fires up his first-ever YouTube stream, but is this a permanent move?

Ninja YouTube Mixer
SlashGear / 10h
When Microsoft announced that it would be shutting down Mixer and offering streamers the chance to join Facebook Gaming, there was a lot of question over what would happen to Ninja and Shroud – two of Mixer’s biggest streamers. Ninja and Shroud had both built very successful streams on Twitch, and when Microsoft was pushing to make Mixer a competitor, … Continue reading

How to Help Your Teenager Find a Virtual Summer Job

100+Lifehacker / 10h
Summer jobs are more than a backdrop for 1980’s teen romcoms—they are an adolescent right of passage. For some kids, these starter gigs are their first real bite of independence. For others, it’s a chance to hone a skill that could later become a career. And for all kids, it’s a chance to make a little—or sometimes a… Read more...

This Canadian airline wants to start flying travelers to the Caribbean in the middle of a pandemic

The Points Guy / 10h
Canadian charter outfit Nolinor Aviation is bucking the trend of bad aviation news with plans to begin offering holidaygoers flights to Caribbean beaches in the coming months. The Montreal-based operator has unveiled plans for a passenger airline branded OWG offering flights between Quebec and the Caribbean. The new charter operation will operate Boeing 737-400 jets outfitted with 158 economy sea

Mercedes opts for more screens and fewer buttons in the 2021 S-Class

S-Class 2021 Mercedes
100+TechCrunch / 11h
Teaser images and leaked photos of the 2021 Mercedes-Benz S-Class suggested the automaker was moving toward a more digital-centric interior . That might have been an understatement. Mercedes-Benz revealed Monday its second-generation MBUX infotainment system, and it is loaded with new technology, including touchscreens, augmented reality heads-up display and improved voice and facial recognition.

America’s Great Racial Reckoning Comes To The Auto Industry As Some Ford Employees Call For End Of Cop Car Manufacturing

2KGizmodo / 11h
Some American corporations have been forced to come to Jesus in the past few weeks with acknowledgements of racial insensitivity, failures in workplace diversity, and other contributions to institutional racism — but for the most part this reckoning has largely bypassed the automotive industry. Or so we thought,… Read more...

Desk jobs have surprising brain health benefits, but there’s a catch

24SlashGear / 11h
Desk and other sedentary jobs are often associated with poorer health, but that’s not an entirely accurate picture, according to a new study. Researchers have found that people who work desk-based jobs are less likely to experience cognitive decline as they age compared to others who work physically active jobs. This is good news, but there is a ‘catch’ when … Continue reading

The legal cannabis industry must reckon with systemic racism

300+Mashable / 11h
The legal and medical cannabis industry has long been complicit in the systemic oppression of Black people. As Black Lives Matter protests continue around the country, activists, doctors, and entrepreneurs are calling for those in cannabis to dismantle the systemic racism the industry is built on. In the wake of the protests against police brutality following the death of George Floyd, a Black ma

Google starts displaying contextual info in image searches

53Engadget / 11h
The next time you search for and tap on an image on Google, you may see some helpful information related to what's on your screen. The company is now more deeply integrating its Knowledge Graph with pictures that it finds online. Say you're paging through photos of famous buildings as in the GIF above, you'll see a new element of the interface that highlights people, places or things related to t

Sony made a wearable air conditioner that fits in your pocket — Future Blink

50Mashable / 11h
The Reon Pocket uses thermoelectric cooling and claims to cool your body by up to 23 degrees Fahrenheit. Read more... More about Tech , Sony , Mashable Video , Summer , and Future Blink

Step into Pompeii's final hours at Grand Palais exhibit – Future Blink

28Mashable / 11h
A new exhibition at Paris' Grand Palais puts visitors in Pompeii just hours before Vesuvius’ eruption. Read more... More about Mashable Video , Paris , Grand Palais , Pompeii , and Vesuvius

How to Schedule Your PC to Turn on Automatically Each Day

100+Lifehacker / 11h
One of the most useful features on any Windows PC or Mac is the ability to schedule it to power it on at a set time each day. It’s a quick way to get your day going even while you’re making coffee or lying in bed for a few extra minutes—whatever you prefer to do instead of sitting at your desk, waiting for your… Read more...

In pandemic era, entrepreneurs turn to SPACs, crowdfunding and direct listings

100+TechCrunch / 11h
If necessity is the mother of invention, then new business owners are getting very inventive in the ways in which they access cash. Relying on some long-tested and some new avenues to raise money, entrepreneurs are finding more ways to get public market cash faster than they would have in the past. Whether it’s from Reg A crowdfunding dollars, Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs) or dire

The role of tape in the modern data center

TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 11h
We spoke with Spectra Logic about the benefits of tape when it comes to storing data for long periods of time.

The XPS 13 laptop gets a $350 price cut at Dell's Black Friday in July sale

TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 11h
You can score a massive $350 price cut on the powerful XPS 13 touchscreen laptop at Dell's Black Friday in July sale.

PQShield raises $7M for quantum-ready cryptographic security solutions

PQShield Raises Quantum
200+TechCrunch / 11h
A deep tech startup building cryptographic solutions to secure hardware, software, and communications systems for a future when quantum computers may render many current cybersecurity approaches useless is today emerging out of stealth mode with $7 million in funding and a mission to make cryptographic security something that cannot be hackable, even with the most sophisticated systems, by buildi

Mercedes' new touchscreen controls eliminate 27 physical buttons

2021 Mercedes MBUX
500+Engadget / 11h
Today, Mercedes’ revealed its second-generation MBUX infotainment system. When it arrives in the 2021 S-Class luxury sedan, the new MBUX system will replace 27 physical hardware buttons with touchscreen controls, add new voice, hand gesture and gaze controls and offer additional safety features. Every S-Class sedan will come with a 12.8-inch OLED screen with haptic feedback, and customers will ha

Neurologists Say COVID Survivors Are Suffering Strokes and Brain Disorders

9KFuturism / 11h
Scientists are warning that we may be overlooking serious brain disorders that are triggered by the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, which could affect even those who only experienced mild forms of the widely-known symptoms. In some cases, they say, these neurological issues can be so severe as to be fatal. A new research paper , by a team of researchers from University College London’s (UCL) In

How carbon-sucking machines could cut aviation emissions

200+MIT Technology Review / 11h
Two companies have teamed up on a project that could provide a key test of our ability to use synthetic fuel, made from carbon dioxide captured from the air, to cut emissions from aviation. Carbon Engineering, a direct air capture company based in British Columbia, has signed a deal with Aerion, a startup based in Reno, Nevada, that is developing a supersonic business jet known as the AS2 , to ev

Peacock lines up free Premier League content for launch

SlashGear / 11h
With Peacock’s launch date quickly approaching, NBCUniversal continues to trickle release information about the streaming service. Today, NBC announced that Peacock will be home to a lot of NBC Sports Premier League coverage when it launches on July 15th. This seems to be a one-day-only promo meant to give those exploring the service a taste of NBC Sports’ soccer coverage. … Continue reading

Amazon US sellers will have to display their name and address starting Sept. 1, 2020

400+TechCrunch / 11h
Amazon on Wednesday informed its U.S. sellers they will soon have to display their business name and address on their Amazon.com seller profile page. For individual sellers, this will include the individual’s name and address. A similar system is already in place across Amazon’s stores in Europe, Japan and Mexico, due to local laws. Amazon says it’s making the change to ensure there’s a more cons

Google Cloud wants to make open source better than ever

TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 11h
Google has created a new organization to help open source projects manage and enforce their trademarks.

How to Apply for a $1,000 Grant if You're a Freelancer or Gig Economy Worker

300+Lifehacker / 12h
In March, Congress passed a stimulus package, the CARES Act , in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. The landmark bill has provisions, including the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL), that have offered a lifeline to small businesses grappling with a loss of revenue amid… Read more...

Four Reasons United Isn’t Really Going To Lay Off 40% Of Its Staff

300+View from the Wing / 12h
Huge waves were created this week when United revealed that travel bookings have been falling off. Things are headed south, it appears, and they're sending out possible furlough notices to 36,000 employees. But they aren't really going to lay off 39% of their staff, for four reasons. Continue reading ...

Leaked hands-on video reveals even more about Samsung's Note 20 Ultra

Samsung Galaxy Note 20
75Mashable / 12h
It's been less than 24 hours since Samsung officially confirmed its Unpacked 2020 event on August 5, and there's already another leak. This one comes from YouTuber Jimmy is Promo, who went hands-on with what is apparently the Note 20 Ultra. The video comes only a couple of days after he also shared photos of the same phone via Twitter. While there are rumors the Note 20 Ultra will be available in

Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti could be smaller than 2080 Ti – but don't panic

72TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 12h
Rumor claims Nvidia's mainstream Ampere GPUs will have a 627mm² die - smaller than the 2080 Ti's 754mm² die size

These 5 Oil and Gas Pipelines Are the Next to Face Trouble

100+Gizmodo / 12h
The end of fossil fuels is nigh. This week alone, we’ve seen three major pipelines get smacked TF up. First, a judge ordered the Dakota Access Pipeline to be shut down and emptied of all crude oil in 30 days. Then, the Atlantic Coast Pipeline was canceled due to its endless delays and increasing costs. Just hours… Read more...

Robinhood Has Lured Young Traders, Sometimes With Devastating Results

2KNYT > Technology / 12h
Its users buy and sell the riskiest financial products and do so more frequently than customers at other retail brokerage firms, but their inexperience can lead to staggering losses.

Microsoft makes Teams video meetings less tiring with its new Together mode

Microsoft Teams T. Mode
500+TechCrunch / 12h
Video meetings. While the move to remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic may have made them mainstream, they are not without issues and more and more people are now opting out. For good reason. As it turns out, it’s really hard for our brains to sustain concentration while we’re trying to focus on 20 people in neat squares, all with different backgrounds and never quite looking at the camera. W

Pakistan International Airlines Flight Attendant Goes “Missing” In Toronto

300+One Mile at a Time / 12h
A Pakistan International Airlines flight attendant has gone “missing” in Toronto… and this isn’t even the first time. PIA crew member goes missing during layover Pro Pakistani reports that a Pakistan International Airlines crew had a layover in Toronto earlier in the week. The crew had reached Toronto on flight PK781. A flight attendant named Yasir allegedly went missing from the crew hotel durin

Lamborghini Sián Roadster is a rare and epic V12 hybrid hypercar

Lamborghini Sián Sian
24SlashGear / 12h
Lamborghini has sliced the roof off its hybrid V12 hypercar, with the Sián Roadster offering another supercapacitor-powered option. Based on the striking Sián coupe unveiled last year, this open-top version sticks offers 819 horsepower and promises 0-62 mph in under 2.9 seconds. Top speed is in excess of 217 mph, Lamborghini promises. However it’s not just about pure figures on … Continue reading

Help Kids Learn Important Life Skills With This Book

400+Lifehacker / 12h
The timing of the release of the new book How to Be a Person: 65 Hugely Useful, Super-Important Skills to Learn before You’re Grown Up really couldn’t be better. I’m sure author Catherine Newman wasn’t expecting or intending for her book focused on teaching kids basic life skills to be released during a pandemic, but… Read more...

Galaxy Note 20 in-hand images show early key details [UPDATE: Video]

SlashGear / 12h
This week a set of images of the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 were leaked with what appear to be a near-final look at the smartphone’s hardware. This device will likely come in at least two iterations, one with a relatively flat display, the other with a display with curves along its left and right side. Both versions likely have a … Continue reading

Microsoft's new Teams features fight video conferencing fatigue

100+Engadget / 12h
Despite recent pressure from the White House , schools and businesses across the country are unlikely to resume in-person functions for the foreseeable future due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. But going “online-only” has posed challenges of its own. However, Microsoft Team’s brand new slew of updates and features seek to address some of those problems and make this new era of physical isolati

GoHealth eyes multibillion-dollar valuation as it sets its initial IPO price range

200+TechCrunch / 12h
GoHealth , a Chicago-based company that provides consumers with a digital portal to help them select insurance products, set an initial price range for its IPO today . The firm intends to price its equity between $18 to $20 per share in its debut. As the company expects to sell 39.5 million shares in the offering, its IPO haul is huge. At the low-end of its range, GoHealth would raise $711 millio

What India’s TikTok ban means for China

200+TechCrunch / 12h
For more than a decade, China has limited how foreign tech firms that operate inside its borders do business. The world’s largest internet market has used its Great Firewall to block Facebook, Twitter, Google and other services in the name of preserving its cyber sovereignty. The walled-garden approach has helped homegrown giants like Tencent and Alibaba Group win the local market, while giving t

MacBook deals at Amazon offer fantastic prices in both the US and UK right now

TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 12h
The latest MacBook deals from Amazon and Currys mean you can score fantastic prices on both the new Air and Pro models.

Nvidia’s next-generation Ampere A100 GPU available on Google Cloud

TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 12h
Google offers up some serious horsepower with Nvidia A100 GPU.

Tinder is finally testing in-app video calls months into social distancing

75Mashable / 12h
Read more... More about Tinder , Dating Apps , Sex And Relationships , Social Distancing , and Culture

Ninja's return to streaming on YouTube shows he still has star power

Ninja YouTube Mixer
100+Engadget / 12h
Tyler “Ninja” Blevins is streaming Fortnite gameplay for the first time after Microsoft announced it’s shutting down his former home, Mixer . However, his YouTube stream doesn’t necessarily mean that one of the biggest names in streaming is setting up shop there permanently. Esports consultant Rod Breslau reported that Ninja is “in negotiations with streaming platforms and no exclusive deal has y

3D TVs Didn't Die, They Just Ended Up in Cars

Mercedes-Benz S-Class
41Gizmodo / 12h
After dominating trade shows for years as the next big thing in home entertainment, 3D TVs seemingly completely disappeared overnight, replaced by technologies like OLED that are a genuine improvement on the television experience. Where all those gimmicky screens actually went was a mystery, though—until today, when … Read more...

Pokémon Go updates: all the news and rumors for what's coming next

Pokémon Go Team Rocket
1KTechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 12h
Here's all the latest news and rumors on Niantic's Pokémon Go.

Best Acer laptops 2020

200+TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 12h
Here are our top picks for the best Acer laptops this 2020. Whether you're looking for a super light Chromebook or a powerful gaming machine, Acer has a laptop for you.

IHG Rewards Club Selling Points With 100% Bonus

500+One Mile at a Time / 12h
IHG has just rolled out its latest promotion on purchased points . While many people (understandably) may not be looking to speculatively buy points right now, it’s at least worth being aware of this if you could benefit for an upcoming stay. Buy IHG Points With 100% Bonus Through Friday, July 31, 2020, IHG Rewards Club is offering up to a 100% bonus on purchased points . With this promotion, you

Yamaha's newest e-bike hits 28 mph, but it'll cost you

Yamaha 3 28 Mph Civante
64Mashable / 12h
Yamaha's latest bicycle will give riders a speedy electric boost. The Civante is a Class 3 electric-power assist bicycle, the company announced Wednesday, that's arriving at U.S. bike shops later this summer with a $3,399 price tag. It's Yamaha's first Class 3 e-bike , which means you can legally ride up to 28 mph on the road and the electric assist only kicks in when you, the rider, is pedaling

Stay Active With 5-Minute 'Fitness Snacks'

Mmhmm App Zoom Google
32Lifehacker / 12h
A lot of us would like to be more active, but it’s hard to find the time—especially now, when many of us are combining remote work with full-time childcare. Even if you were previously taking advantage of spring weather to spend more time outdoors, the summer heat might be just enough of a disincentive to keep you… Read more...

How to Pin Comments on Your Instagram Posts

Instagram Comments
57Lifehacker / 12h
Comment threads are the Mos Eisleys of the internet and the comment sections on social media are some of the worst , especially on posts from popular accounts. To help create a more positive vibe, Instagram is now letting you pin up to three comme


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